Girls beaten and forced to sell their virginity

This file photo shows Wuqi senior high school. [Photo/Legal Weekends]

Authorities in Wuqi county, Shaanxi province, are investigating a case in which some girls reportedly beat up fellow students, forced them to take their clothes off and tried to sexually assault them.

Seven teenage girls allegedly thrashed and threatened five girl students in Wuqi senior high school on Sept 21, 2014, according to local public security bureau.

"The students beat the five in a dormitory of the school from 11 pm on Sept 21 till 5 am on Sept 22, and forced three of them to take off their clothes and took their nude photos," the police report said.

On Sept 26, six of the seven perpetrators were detained and one was allowed to go home as she was not 16 years old.

However, the police report did not mention why the seven students beat the five ones but the parents of the victims later told media that their girls were beaten because they refused to sell their virginity.

Meanwhile, the parents of the seven students claimed their children were also victims as they were given money by some businessmen who asked the girls to find teenage students to sell their virginity to local officials. The businessmen wanted to please the officials as they wanted some construction projects approved.

"I was told that the two students who led the others to beat the younger students had bank cards with 1.2 million yuan ($193,133) and 800,000 yuan deposits respectively, which were given by some businessmen to buy virginity," one of the seven students' parents said, who refused to reveal his name.

Qi Jingtao, a local village committee director who is reportedly involved in the case, was arrested on Dec 17, 2014.

Some local officials were punished by Party discipline in November, 2014, including Qi Naike, director of the county's education bureau; Liu Zhanrong, deputy director of the education bureau; Zhang Junyin, schoolmaster of Wuqi senior high school; Yan Zhijun, deputy schoolmaster of the school; and six other school management staff and teachers.

However, the local government and police have not named the officials and businessmen involved in the case.

"The case is investigated and we cannot tell anything about the case because the identity of the teenage students is protected by law," said a county police who wished to remain anonymous.